Texas Bar Foundation

Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) received notification that we were granted $10,000 in support of the new Crossover Youth Practice Model.

Extensive research has clearly indicated that young people who have been abused or neglected are at an increased probability to engage in delinquent behavior. Despite these findings, little has been done within the child welfare or juvenile justice systems to interrupt their troubled trajectory. In 2010, The Center of Juvenile Justice Reform introduced the ‘Crossover Youth Practice Model’ (CYPM), which was developed to address the specific needs of ‘Crossover Youth’ who are simultaneously receiving services and/or supervision from both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Child Advocates San Antonio is currently one of five metropolitan CASA agencies implementing a CYPM in Texas.

By implementing a crossover model, CASA will enhance our tradition of collaboration with the Juvenile Justice System and the Department of Family and Protective Service (CPS), while continuing to push the boundaries of innovation within the field of child welfare. Bexar County will benefit financially due to reductions in: truancy, recidivism rates, and duplication of medical/social/legal services. As a whole, our community will gain increased knowledge of their rights and responsibilities within the legal system. Most significantly, the youths that we serve will benefit from improved educational/medical/and emotional outcomes, expedited case handling, and diversion from traditional juvenile justice detainment facilities.